Means for controlling density of insulating material



H. v; SMITH 2,092,783 MEANS FOR CONTROLLING DENSITY OF INSULATING MATERIAL Sept. 14, 1937.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 13, 1955 INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY A Sept. 14, 1937. k H. v. SMITH 1 2,092,783-

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING DENSITY OF INSULATING MATERIAL Filed Aug. 13, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 14, 1 937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR CONTBGLLING DENSITY OF INSULATING MATERIAL Harry Vroman Smith, Newark, Ohio, assignor to ofwgfiis-lllinois Glass Company, a corporation o Application August 13, 1935, Serial No. 36,041 6 Claims. (01. 302-35) My invention relates to apparatus for blowing tical studding of a building and in similar situainsulating material such as mineral wool. nodutions, a large volume of air is undesirable because lated glass wool and the like into confined spaces, it has a tendency not only to deposit the mafor insulating or other purposes. More particuterial' in the partition or insulating spaces at too larly, the invention relates to valve mechanism high a velocity, but also tends to buildup a static for automatically controlling the volume and pressure within the space being insulated. The 5 pressure of air supplied with the insulating mamaterial is thus compressed to a relatively high terial, and thereby controlling the density or density. In these situations I have found it decompactness of the material and consequentlysirable to employ a comparatively low volume of 10 the number of square feet or area that can be air relative to the amount of insulating material 10 covered to a desired thickness with a given weight so that the material drops gently from the end of material. of the hose into the space beneath.

At the present time, blowing machines are com- An object of my invention is to provide means monly used for blowing insulating material into by which the volume of air supplied from the the insulating spaces within the vertical walls and blower relative to the amount of insulating ma- 15 partitions of buildings and between the ceiling terial intermixed therewith, and'also the air presrafters, or in other confined spaces. The patent sure, may be adjustably regulated and controlled to Games Slayter, 1,728,837, September 17, 1929, in a manner to obtain the most economical and Method of heat insulating, discloses a method of eflicient application of the insulating material blowing insulating material into the walls of a when applied under the varying conditions above 20 building for the purpose above indicated. indicated.

The insulating material may consist of gran- A further object of the invention is to provide, ulated or nodulized mineral wool, glass wool, or in combination with a blower of the type indiother compressible material in a. more or less cated, an automatically operated control valve loose or fiufl'y condition. I have found that the or bleed valve by which a certain amount of air 25 amount of insulating material required for covis permitted to escape in a manner to reduce and erage of a given area when the material is introcontrol the volume and pressure of air supplied duced by means of a blower as above indicated, through the nozzle with the insulating material. depends largely upon the relative amount of air A further object of the invention is to provide and insulating material discharged from the a control yalve which will automatically close 30 blower and also on the air pressure or force of in the event of the discharge nozzle bec I the blast. The blast pressure affects both 'the clogged with insul t g m te a and thereby force of discharge and packing and also the cause the pressure to rise and clear the nozzle.

relative amount of air and insulating material Other objects of the invention will appear discharged from the apparatus. The pressure hereinafter. 35

and velocity of air has a tendency to puff out Referring to the accompanying drawings: the nodules and increase the ratio of air to in- Fig. 1 is a perspe ve view of a blower mechasulating material. nism adapted for use in practicing my invention.

For example, in blowing granulated or nodu- Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the relief valve 40 lated wool into the open spaces between ceiling by which theair pressure is regulated. 40

rafters, I have found it desirable to maintain a Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the blower mecha relatively high ratio of air volume to volume of nism, the hopper being omitted. wool, so that as the material is discharged from Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation the end of the hose the velocity of the air has through the feeder and hopper.

a tendency to flufi out? the nodules and deposit The blowing machine may be of conventional 45 them between the rafters at a relatively low construction and, as herein shown, comprises an' density. Thus, a comparatively large number of air blower l0 which may be of the positive disfeet can be covered to the desired thickness with placement type, and a feeder It. The. feeder a given weight of material. On the other hand, comprises a rotor I! mounted on a drive shaft 13 a low volume of air has a tendency to pack the and rotated thereby within-a cylindrical casing 50 nodules as theymove through the hose and to ll. An integral downward extension I5 of the desposit them in a more compact shape in the casing provides a chamber or channel It extendinsulating space between the rafters. ing lengthwise of the feeder.

I have also found that in blowing the same The insulating material 11 is supplied to the material into the closed spaces between the verfeeder it from a hopper I8 mounted over .the 55 feeder and having an opening IS in the floor thereof through which the material is discharged into the feeder. The insulating material is herein shown in the form of nodules which may consist of loosely matted fibers of glass wool, mineral wool or other material. Air under pressure is conducted from the blower 10 through a a pipe line 20 to the chamber l6 where it is mixed with the insulating material I1 which is being discharged by the feeder into the said chamber. The mixture of air and insulating material is transmitted under pressure from said chamber through a hose 22 to a nozzle 23 from which it is discharged.

The air pressure within the pipe line 20 is regulated and controlled by a bleeder valve mechanism 25 connected to the pipe line through a pipe extension 24. The pressure in the line is regulated in accordance with the resistance set up by the material to be discharged. If the resistance is raised as by clogging, the pressure in the line is automatically raised above the normal predetermined pressure, and when the resistance is lowered, the pressure is accordingly automatically reduced. The valve mechanism includes a casing comprising an upper end section 26, a lower end section 21, and an intermediate section 28 in the form of a tube or pipe having screw threaded connection with said end sections. A cup-shaped valve 30 is mounted within the valve casing, on the lower end of a vertical valve stem 3|. The valve is adjustable vertically on the valvestem by means of adjusting nuts 32 and 33. The valve stem extends upwardthrough and beyond an opening in the upper section 26 of the valve casing, the upper portion 34 of the stem being screw threaded.

The valve when in its lifted or full line position shown in Fig. 2, seats on a gasket 35 and closes a port 36 opening to the outside air. When the valve is lowered to the dotted line position, -it opens communication from the pipe 24 through port 36 to the atmosphere. Adjustable stop nuts 31 threaded on the screw threaded section 34 of the valve stem, adjustably limit the downward or opening movement 'of the valve.

When it is desired to operate the blowing mechanism with the air at low pressure, the valve is held in its lowered or open position by gravity, thereby permitting a restricted escape of air through the port 3'6 by which the air pressure through the pipe line 20 is regulated and controlled. By'adjusting the nuts 31, the amount of air admitted may be adjustably varied.

If the discharge pipe 22 or nozzle 23 should become clogged with the insulating material, due to the low pressure, a back flow of air through the extension 24 is induced and a back pressure built up which operates to lift and close the valve 30. This results in an increased back pressure sufllcient to clear the pipe line. The amount of back pressure necessary to close the valve is adjustably regulated and controlled by means ,of weights 38 removably mounted on the valve stem. By removing one or more of these weights, there is a corresponding reduction in the amount of back pressure needed to close the valve.

It will be seen that the valve operates as a bleeder to maintain a comparatively low air pressure through the discharge nozzle when a low pressure is desirable, as, for example, in feeding insulating material downward into the vertical walls of a building. At the same time, the valve mechanism operates automatically to permit any increased pressure necessary to clear the disthe insulating material.

When a comparatively high discharge pressure is desired, as, for example, when the insulating material is being introduced in the space between an attic floor and the ceiling therebeneath, the valve 30 may be adjusted by means of the adjusting device 31 so as to remain closed or to restrict the exit of air through the port 36 to any desired extent. This permits the pressure at the nozzle 23 to'be maintained as high as desired up to the full capacity of the blower.

The blower may be .directly connected to a driving motor 40 through a drive shaft ll. The

charge pipe in the event it becomes clogged with latter may also have a driving connection through speed reduction gearing 42 to the feeder shaft l3. Modifications-may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention.

zle, said means including valve mechanism comprising a. port opening from said air line to the outside atmosphere, a valve controlling said port, means for normally holding the valve in open position to permit the escape of a predetermined amount-of air through said port, andmeans for adjusting the valve and thereby adjustably varying the amount of said escaped air, said valve capable of being closed by excess back pressure. 2. Apparatus for introducing an insulating material into a confined space, comprising a blower, a nozzle, an air line extending between the blower and the nozzle, mechanism for introducing insulating material into said line and causing it to be discharged through said nozzle, and means for varying the ratio' between the volume of air and insulating material discharged through the nozzle, said means including valve mechanism comprising a port opening from said air line to the outside atmosphere, a valve controlling said port, and means for normally holding the valve open and permitting it to be closed automatically by an abnormal pressure built up in said air line.

3. Apparatus'for introducing an insulating material into a confined space, comprising a blower, a nozzle, an air line extending between the blower and the nozzle, mechanism for introducing insulating material into said line and causing it to be discharged through said nozzle, and means for varying the ratio between the volume of air and insulating material discharged through the nozzle, said means including valve mechanism comprising a port opening from said airline to the outside atmosphere, a, valve controlling said port, means for normally holding the valve open and permitting it to be closed automatically by .an abnormal pressure built up in said air line,

and meansfor adjustably varying the resistance of the valve to closing movement and thereby determining the amount of back pressure required to close the valve.

passing through said air line, means providing a port opening in communication with the air line,

" by'which the material is intermixed with the air a bleed valve controlling said port opening, and means for yieldably holding the valve normally open to bleed a predetermined proportion of the air from said blower, said valve being movable 5 to closed position under a predetermined back pressure within the air line.

5. Apparatus for introducing compressible insulating material into a confined space comprising a blower, a discharge nozzle, an air line ex- 10 tending from the blower to the nozzle, a mixer by which the material is intermixed with the air passing through said air line, means providinga port opening in communication with the air line, a bleed valve controlling said port open- 15 ing, means for yieldably holding the valve normally open, said valve being movable to closed position under a predetermined pressure within the air line, and adjusting means by which the open position of the valve may be adjustably varied and the opening throttled to any de-.

sired extent. 6. Apparatus for introducing insulating material into confined spaces, which comprises b1ow'- anism, means providing an air line between the blowing mechanism and the mixing means, valve mechanism comprising a port communicating with the air line, a valve controlling said port, said valve movable by gravity to an open position and movable by pressure within the air line to closed position, means for adjustably regulating the open position of. the valve,. and adjusting means for adjustabiy varying the resistance offered by the valve to said closing movement.

HARRY VROMAN SMITH. 

